Best Practices for Message Design in Teaching

1. Best Practices for Message Design in Teaching How can you make sure that your message is being received? B.D. Peters

2. Before Getting Started • A teacher must consider TWO things before teaching a lesson: • How they physically organize their lesson • Ex: Font, Text Size, Text Length, Text Layout, Computer Display • How a logical and sequential lesson will make sure the end goal of learning is achieved

3. Why Consider Message Delivery? • Message Design for Instruction (MDI) - A lesson needs to be physically appealing in order to gain attention and to be viewed with a positive perception by the learner. • Message Design for Learning (MDL) - A logical and sequential lesson will improve comprehension, retention and retrieval.

4. Key Elements of Message Design • Information – this is the concept, standard, skill, etc. teachers need students to know or master • Instruction– this is how the teacher organizes and sequences the information for the learner in order for learning to take place • Learning – this is how the learner interprets the instruction using their unique internal cognitive processes in order to understand or learn what is being taught

5. Role of Media • Media can help the learner in the comprehension of a lesson. • Different types of media may help teach a lesson, but a teacher must pick media that is effective in their inductive composition of the lesson. • When presenting the media the teacher must also consider both the physical organization of the media and the relevance of the media

6. Message Design Principles in Action • Class: United States History to 1865 • VA Standard of Learning: USI.1a • The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to identify and interpret primary and secondary source documents to increase understanding of events and life in United States history to 1865 • Example Lesson: Understanding the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine using a political cartoon • Media: Metaphoric pictures and outline notes using computer display

7. Political Cartoons • For VA SOL Standard USI.7c: • The student will demonstrate knowledge of the challenges faced by the new nation by describing the major accomplishments of the first five presidents of the United States. • Resources: • Flipchart on Accomplishments of First Five Presidents • Outline Notes

8. Computer Display • Using Promethean ActivInspire and a Promethean Board, the teacher can prepare an effective computer display that includes: • Appropriate font, size, color, and spacing (MDI) • Dynamics that can draw a learners attention (MDI) • Usable space on screen for student responses, directions, etc. (MDI and MDL)

9. Computer Display Example 1 3 • Each screen (appearing one at a time) has readable text and pictures that are relevant and interesting. • There is also usable space on page 1 and 2 for student responses 2

10. Outline Notes • Using Microsoft PowerPoint, the teacher can prepare an outline note page that includes: • Appropriate font, size, color, and spacing (MDI) • Dynamics that can draw a learners attention (MDI) • Signaling strategies because both the content and the signaling strategy are stored in memory (MDI and MDL)

11. Outline Notes Example • The notes are legible and use appropriate font, size, and color. • The information will be covered in a logical and sequential order. • The fill-in-the-blank strategy will be a non-verbal signal that content needs to be copied down. • The words that need to be copied from the board are keywords that highlight the key points.

12. Metaphoric Pictures • Pictures are not just for showing scenes • They can be used to communicate ideas • Metaphoric Pictures • Present two meanings: one false, the other intended • “The person who makes the metaphor expects the recipient to notice both meanings, and expects the recipient to know which was intended, and expects the recipient to know which was unintended, and expects the recipient to know the maker expected all this from the recipient” (Kennedy).

13. Metaphoric Picture Example • Examples of false meanings: • There is a big dotted line off the east coast of North and South America • The continent of Europe can talk • Examples of intended meanings: • The stop sign is a metaphor • The Monroe Doctrine is warning directed toward Europe

14. Conclusion • The elements of the example lesson were created considering the important elements of message design. • The physical form of the message (Message Design for Instruction) helped make sure that the learner’s attention was sustained and their perception of the activity was positive • The inductive composition of the message (Message Design for Learning) helped make sure that the comprehension, retention, and retrieval of the learner were accomplished.

15. References Anglin, G.J., Vaez, H. & Cunningham, K.L. Visual representations and learning: the role of static and animated graphics. In D. H. Jonnesen (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (2nd edition). Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum.  ISBN 0 8058 4145 8. Retrieved August, 28, from http://www.aect.org/edtech/33.pdf Chapter 17 in Anglin’s BOOK 2nd EDITION: Message Design-Issues & Trends by Grabowski Hartley, J. (2004).  Designing instructional and informational text.  In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.) Handbook of Research in Educational Communications and Technology (2nd edition). Mahwah, N.J: Erlbaum.  ISBN 0 8058 4145 8. Retrieved August, 28, from http://www.aect.org/edtech/34.pdf